Family Tithes

Crying In Da Car

Ri pushes herself off the bed.

"Yeah. My daddy's suit," She says.

I nod my head, "You damn right."

She smacks my arm as she walks around to face me.

"I meant my actual daddy's suit. It looks nice on you."

I check myself out in the mirror.

"Eh. It ain't really my style."

Ri swats my hands away from the shirt. She does the rest of my buttons herself.

"I agree. I think a navy blue would look better against your skin but this all we have. You shouldn't have waited until Christmas morning to decide you needed a suit."

"I didn't know I was gon' need one 'til today," I say.

Duecy kept his word about getting me a meeting with those Haitians he knew. It took some time but they finally followed up with me. Some woman called my phone 'round 4 this morning telling me The Toussaints had an opening at 11 am today. It was last minute as fuck but I accepted. It took them over a month to get back to me; I wasn't wasting another day, birthday or not.

"All I'm saying is if you knew something like this was coming up you should've told me. I could've picked you up a suit on my way from work this week," Ri says.

I smile down at her.

"Now don't you sound like a good housewife," I say.

Ri scoffs. She pushes my chest after she's done with my top button. It's all fun and games until she tries to walk away with an irritated look on her face. I pull her back by her arm.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Nothing," She says.

I smack my teeth.

"Is it cause of what I said? Don't tell me you back on this feminist shit," I say.

"Why would I get offended at you calling me a housewife? I'm not yo wife and I'm outside more than you."

"Then what's the problem?"

"There is none, Ace."

"Then what you keep tryna leave for?"

"I'm not the one dressed up," Ri says.

I let go of her arm.

"So that's what you mad about? You don't want to spend Christmas alone?" I ask.

Yuri just stands there sulking like a mad child. I don't have time for this.

"I don't have time to sit here and play 21 questions with you, Yuri. If you don't wanna spend Christmas alone, say that but I thought you was going visit yo mama in rehab today."

"I am, Ace."

"Then what's the problem?" I ask.

"You!" Ri yells.

I pull my head back. Where the fuck that come from?

Ri sighs.

"It's just like you said. I am acting like a housewife. I cook for us; I wash our clothes. I tell you about my day and I look forward to hearing about yours. We kiss; we joke around."

"So what you saying? You want more?" I ask.

Ri points between us, "I wanna know what this is. I wanna know if it's gonna go anywhere when you leave."

Fuck. Here we go. I was hoping we could avoid this conversation until I knew what my next move was gon' be. There's this meeting with the Haitians but ain't no telling how that's gon' go. I've had business meetings where the niggas looking for business left in body bags.